


Star Wars: Confederacy

by aethertag



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate History, Roleplay Recap, The players are prone to idiocy, i'm not sure what they're going to do but this thing's plot is GOING to get derailed at some point, implied ahsoka/barriss if you squint, it's really not a matter of 'if' it's a matter of 'when', questionable morality, seriously about the idiocy i'm not kidding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 01:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12830457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aethertag/pseuds/aethertag
Summary: AU. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi die while attempting to rescue Senator Palpatine, and as a result the C.I.S wins the Clone Wars. Ten years after the Galactic Confederacy has assumed power, a group of young Jedi take on their first missions without their masters. Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, a group of smugglers stumble onto a secret that could turn the tide of fate.Based on the events of a pair of campaigns using the rules provided by Fantasy Flight Games.





	Star Wars: Confederacy

**Author's Note:**

> I've always liked reading about people's campaigns, and I really need to get back into the swing of writing. Since I really enjoyed the AU I came up with for my Star Wars games, with the consent of my players I'm going to be writing up the sessions of the two campaigns set within this AU as a fanfic. This first chapter is worldbuilding, and if anyone is interested they can find more at the Wikia I set up for the games: http://star-wars-confederacy.wikia.com

**War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.**  
**In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.**  
**As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor....**  
**They failed.**

* * *

 

**INVISIBLE HAND, ORBITING CORUSCANT, 0 ACV (After Confederate Victory)**

"A shame."

They were the first words Palpatine had spoken in a good five minutes since the end of the duel, and cut through the air like a knife. Dooku paused, turning to his master with a raised and questioning eyebrow. The Sith Lord just looked down at the corpse of Anakin Skywalker, ignoring Obi-Wan entirely as he frowned in concentration.

"Something changed." He muttered under his breath, a seething anger under the disappointment. He had always hated when his plans didn't go as he had dictated, and everything that had transpired on the bridge had been just that, a change. The shift in his personality vanished, the man changing from demure politician to cold Sith lord in an instant.

"Well done, my apprentice." He rubbed his wrists and walked across the room to the doors, sighing. "You exceed my expectations once again, Darth Tyrannus."

"Thank you, my master." Dooku bowed his head as he passed, following him. Darth Sidious glanced out a viewing port at the battle raging over Coruscant, the manipulator's mind racing as he tried to figure out how to salvage the situation. With Anakin dead and Dooku alive, the flagship's bridge would never be brought offline, and it could turn the tide of this battle...

"Tell Grievous to destroy it once the battle is won." He said flatly, as he headed to his private shuttle. Grievous and the others still didn't know of his involvement, and he needed to retreat and replan. 

"Destroy what, my master?"

"The planet."

Dooku paused, turning to look back at the planet under them as the ship rocked from recieving another broadside. How many people lived on Coruscant? Untold millions, surely...but also dozens, if not hundreds of Jedi, including the council. Was Yoda still present on the world? Mace? What of the senators, were they still there as well? Mothma, Amidala...men and women who would never rest should the Confederacy of Independent Systems win. 

Yes, he could see the benefits of such ruthlessness. The complete destruction of the Republic's ruling center, in a single bombardment. They would be vilified by the rest of the galaxy, but there were ways to spin this. A single act of brutality to end a war that had dragged on for years and cost untold lives - civilians desperate for peace would come to accept it in time. 

"Yes, my master." The thoughts had only taken a few seconds. "What shall you do?"

"Claim I am dead." Sidious sighed, rubbing his forehead with a scowl. "Retreat to my home on Byss and lead from the shadows. I shall be in contact with you later."

"Of course." Dooku bowed his head and watched as his master calmly walked through the ship to the landing bay. Later he'd find that his master had taken Skywalker's fighter and left by himself, vanishing to his opulent private palace and its decadence as he continued to manipulate events from the shadows. 

He may not have been able to create his Empire in the way he had first planned, and he may have lost his ideal lieutenant, but Palpatine would have the galaxy in his clutches one way or another no matter what he had to resort to. Hours later, the Republic fleet was forced to retreated, and the surviving Confederacy ships turned their guns to the surface of the planet. 

Thousands of voices screamed out in pain, anger and fear, an echoing noise through the Force that lasted a full day. Finally, they fell quiet, Coruscant now a burning pile of ruins. 

* * *

**RAXUS, CAPITAL OF THE GALACTIC CONFEDERACY, 2 ACV**

"President Dooku."

The term was odd, the Sith thought, bemused as he accepted the datapad from the servant. With the fall of Coruscant, a death toll still being estimated to this day even two years later, the C.I.S had essentially won the war. While fringe elements of the Republic army continued to fight, led by Jedi knights and masters as well as the few senators who had been off world, the resistance had mostly degraded by now. A few senators had conceded defeat, being allowed into the newly-named Galactic Confederacy as representatives of their worlds, Bail Organa chief among them. Men and women who just wished for an end to the bloodshed, valuing the lives of their populace more than some sense of national identity.

A foolish sentiment, but one that was easier for him to manipulate, Dooku thought. Considering his exemplary performance as their wartime leader the Confederacy had named him as the President of their new union, one with far less regulation - much more of a loose arrangement of systems, held together by trade and a common set of laws rather than belonging to one government as they had under the Republic. 

The message was encrypted, of course - the monthly orders from his master always were. Sidious' messages showed a disturbingly thorough knowledge of the Confederacy's goings-on as well as those of the remaining Republic forces. His instructions were never specific, leaving the basics of its running to Dooku and the collected representatives, although this one was...concerning. 

_ They gather at Kamino. End them.  _

It was followed by a list of names and military strengths - it must have been given to him by one of his Clone spies, Dooku realized. He knew his master had a level of control over the clones that the Jedi were not aware of, but he had never been sure how much that was. 

The names...no Jedi that Dooku remembered, just a list of knights and their padawans - likely the knights were recently given their ranks. The clones, however, that was perhaps a little easier to recognize. Cody - that was Obi-Wan's commander, wasn't it? He shrugged and shut the datapad down, the Force cracking its screen and compressing it down into a sphere before he tossed it aside. 

"Tell Grievous I have an assignment for him."

* * *

 

**KAMINO, REPUBLIC CLONING CENTER, 2 ACV**

_"With all due respect, General, if someone comes to our home, they'd better be carrying a big blaster."_  
_"I concur with Captain Rex, sir. This is personal for us clones."_

Cody remembered the last time that the CIS had tried to take Kamino. The words he'd exchanged with General Kenobi and Rex, setting up an ambush in a cantina, 99's death.  
He'd lost many more brothers since that day, but this was just as personal. Why the new Galactic Confederacy wasn't just bombarding them now he would never know, although if he had to guess he'd say they were being thorough. Rex was the reckless one, and now Cody wondered where his brother was - and why so few of the scattered Clone armies had gathered here at Kamino. This was their home, wasn't it?

Soldiers followed orders, but he didn't have any anymore. Sighing, he checked his blaster and looked up at the sky as dropships descended. 

"Blast the clankers out of the sky!" He ordered, pulling his helmet back on. "Don't let them get inside!"

The halls of Tipoca City were filled with roars of assent and gunfire, and Cody lost track of the battle. He saw so many more of his brothers fall to strafing runs, or the advancing endless hordes of battle droids. Finally, he gathered a group of survivors inside one of the cloning centers, all of them checking their weapons as the lone surviving Jedi he'd found - a young Zabrak Padawan, weakly holding his lightsaber in one hand and a blaster pistol in the other as he glanced towards the doors. 

"We gave them a fight, huh?" The Padawan asked weakly. Cody chuckled in response, raising his rifle and pointing it at the door. "What was your name again?"

_CC-2224._

"Cody _."_

"Krava."

"Well, Commander Krava. You're in charge." Cody said simply as the door started to fold inwards. "We're soldiers, and soldiers follow orders."  
Krava's grip on his lightsaber tightened as the padawan took a deep breath, and then he activated it, emerald blade shining as he pointed the pistol towards the door. "Fight to your last breath."

"Yes, sir." Cody let himself smile, and then the door collapsed and all hell broke loose yet again. Krava fired the pistol in his off-hand frantically, lightsaber spinning to deflect bolts as the clones poured more fire into the corridor, yelling in defiance of the CIS forces. For a brief, glorious moment they were winning. 

Then four lightsabers ignited in the hall behind the smoke, and Grievous advanced. Cody resisted the urge to swear, professional to the end even as one of his own bolts was reflected back into his shoulder and sent him sprawling to the ground. Krava let out a scream of rage and desperation, sprinting forwards and locking blades with two of Grievous' own - only to be bisected by the third, a fourth being hurled across the room while active to impale one of Cody's men through the neck. Cody crawled back to his feet, but an armored foot crushed against his chest and pushed him against the ground. Grievous stared down, yellow eyes burning with hate as he raised one lightsaber high above his head. 

Cody recognized it. That was General Kenobi's. 

CC-2224 closed his eyes, and then he didn't see anything else.

* * *

**SPACE, OUTER RIM, 2 ACV**

"Is this all of us?"

Ki-Adi Mundi had asked the question quietly as the three Jedi hovered around the table. This was truly all that had survived? Only three masters who had not been on Coruscant had had the sense to move to the outer rim and wait their time, try to regroup somewhere other than the death trap that had been Kamino?

Aayla Secura and Plo Koon exchanged looks, before nodding. Ki-Adi frowned. Three Jedi, a handful of Clone soldiers, and a tiny fleet. This was the best they could gather...this, and their unexpected allies. A Mandalorian woman stood next to them, and next to her...a blue-skinned man in a sharp white suit, red eyes piercing all of them. 

"It would appear so." The woman said lightly, tucking black hair behind her ears. The Chiss admiral nodded quietly, choosing not to say anything yet. "Fear not, General Mundi. Clan Wren stands with you, and so does Mandalore. We've had worse odds."

"That does not mean the odds are in favor." The Chiss said quietly, hands behind his back. "I understand that the Chiss Ascendency are new to the galaxy, Masters, but considering the insulting trade offer that the Confederacy offered we believe that standing with you is the right choice. Your determination is...inspiring."

"The Republic is dead." Master Secura said flatly, her normal mischievous air gone. "That's not who we are. We're more of a resistance."

"A great many works of art are based around a successful resistance." The Chiss shrugged. "Besides. I fought alongside Master Skywalker in the Thrugii Asteroid Belt. I respected him - this Confederacy, less so. I would be glad to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you, Captain Mitth'raw'nur-"

"Thrawn. Please." Thrawn interrupted Plo Koon. Seeing that he had the floor, he continued, calmly laying out his position. "You need to cast off the weaknesses that the Republic brought to you. Use its name as an inspiration, but accept that the ideal is dead."

"He's not wrong." Ursa Wren said lightly. "Mandalore never respected the Republic in the first place. If we're going to stand by you..."

"Very well. The Republic is dead." Ki-Adi Mundi sighed. "What shall we be called then? The Rebellion?"

"That seems a bit presumptuous." Plo Koon snorted. "We aren't rebelling. We're attempting to bring something back. What about the Old Republic Resistance?"

"I like it. Easy acronym." Aayla Secura joked, the first any of them had heard in weeks. "It's easy to sell something when it's got an acronym."

"Generals. Captain. Wren." A clone trooper in blue-accented armor snapped a salute as he walked onto the bridge. "We're coming up on Ascendency space now."

"We can't shelter you forever." Thrawn said pointedly. "And the Chiss Defense Fleet is not exactly geared for a conflict with something as expansive as the Confederacy's military. You can stay and plan for a few years at most."

"Thank you, Thrawn." Ki-Adi Mundi said gravely. "That will be enough. Thank you, Captain Rex."

"Sir." Rex hovered in the door, turning his attention to Plo Koon. "General, has there been any word about-"

"Tano? No." Plo Koon shook his head. "We don't believe she was on Coruscant at the time, but there's been no contact."

"A shame. We could use the Commander right now." Rex said ruefully as he thought about his friend. "Not like there's much of a Jedi Order left anyway."

* * *

**RAXUS, 4 ACV**

Dooku was amazed he was still alive after what he had suggested. The Inquisitorius, he had said to Sidious, was simply too...well. Perhaps blatantly evil was the way to put it after all. The populace needed something to trust as intermediaries, he argued, something that did not resemble them trying to rule by fear less this entire Confederacy fall apart. Perhaps part of it was that he wanted to surpass his old Master, he decided. Yoda had been the head of a Jedi Order, and Dooku felt that it was only right he should be as well now that he'd passed on. 

Now that he had avoided being killed on the spot on Byss, Dooku glanced over at the men and women gathered in his dining room. Some new - members of the Inquisitorius, their training interrupted and re-focused to this new status quo. Others...ones he had never thought to see in a peaceful context again. 

"To the New Jedi Order." He said, raising a glass of wine. To his right, Tun Rol, the Utapauan who had been chosen as Grand Inquisitor and now Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, mimicked his motion. Next to him, the only other eager members of it, Quinlan Voss and Barris Offee, raised their glasses as well. Dooku had to keep an eye on Voss - he knew the man likely hated him for his role in Ventress' death, even if he maintained that his former apprentice had damned well brought it upon herself. 

Offee - that was an interesting one. A woman already disillusioned with the Jedi Order, who had been oh so close to turning to the Dark Side. After finding her it had taken nearly no shifting at all to bring her on board with this New Jedi Order, positioning it as a chance to redeem herself. The two others were...perhaps more awkward. 

Shaak Ti. Master Shaak Ti, Dooku marvelled, amazed that he'd managed to talk her over. The woman had discovered the biochips in the heads of the Clone Troopers shortly before the Battle of Kamino, and that seemed to have been the last straw for the gentle master. She rejected her old Republic and had fled to Felucia, where his forces had found her - and brought her over to his side. She was more reluctant, eventually raising her own glass with a sigh. 

The last was...difficult. Eeth Koth, a Jedi who had sat out most of the end of the war to recover from the tortures that Grievous had put him through, just glared with crossed arms. Dooku knew he had only come because Shaak Ti had, but he simply couldn't pass up the chance to have even more trained Jedi on his council.  
He knew that they would be watching him. He'd just have to watch them in return. This would work, it had to - or else Sidious would have his head. Eventually Koth sighed, raising his glass with a dark mutter. 

"The New Jedi Order." He said sourly. Barris Offee smiled, attempting to cut through the air. 

"May it be more successful at bringing peace to the galaxy than the Old."

"Quite." Dooku agreed before an argument could start, sitting down. "Now...to business. I feel like you should all take Padawans as quickly as possible, and I have a handful of suggestions..."

* * *

 

**CHISS ASCENDENCY, 6 ACV**

"What do you **_mean_** , lost with all hands?"

Grievous just glared at the hologram of Dooku, sweeping his cloak to the side as he growled an explanation. "They were waiting for us. Somehow those accursed Jedi had-"

"Fifty ships, Grievous!" Dooku snarled, losing his temper entirely and smashing a glass against his desk. "How did we lose fifty ships? We had perfect intelligence! Were there more of them than we expected?"

"No." Grievous admitted, his own anger growing. "But they ambushed us. Somehow they knew exactly what we were going to do - this is far beyond the abilities of those you said were in charge! This is the fault of your own intelligence, not my fleet!"

Thousands of miles away, on the bridge of an old Republic cruiser, Grand Admiral of the Old Republic Resistance Mitth'raw'nuruodo smiled in satisfaction as he stared at the end result of the battle. Yes, he had made the right choice, he decided as he turned and walked off the bridge, nodding at a still-disbelieving Captain Rex as he left. Perhaps the Resistance was outgunned and out-manned, but between the knowledge that the Jedi masters had, the experience of those troopers at his command, and his own brilliance...yes. 

Perhaps this mad mission could succeed after all. Thrawn did appreciate a challenge.

* * *

**TATOOINE, 6 ACV**

"Master?" Kanan asked as the landspeeder came to a stop outside the cantina. Depa Bilaba hushed him, making the young man's skin color slightly. "Sorry. Uh, Depa...why are we here?"

"We can finally play our role." Bilaba said lightly as they walked inside, ignoring the band playing as they headed for the corner of the cantina. A dark-skinned man and a young Twi'lek woman were waiting for them, the man smiling coyly at the increasingly irritated Twi'lek. "Captain Syndulla?"

"That's me." The Twi'lek said, relieved. "Are you the client?"

"Part of it." Bilaba replied, sitting down next to them. "Depa Bilaba and my student, Kanan Jarrus."

"Hey." Kanan tried to look casual, making Hera laugh a little. Her companion chuckled, raising a glass in support of his valiant efforts. 

"Nice try, kid."

"Lando, be nice." Hera rolled her eyes. "My partner, Lando Calrissian. Unfortunately."

"Do you have the weapons?" Kanan asked, getting a sharp look from his master. The twenty-year old man just threw his hands in the air, groaning. "Oh, come on. Look at this place. Somehow I don't think anyone's going to care about an arms deal."

"That Rodian by the table got shot ten minutes ago and nobody cared." Lando pointed out with a grin. "The kid's right."

"Call me kid one more time-"

"Control your emotions, Kanan." Bilaba scolded him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "So...are you in?"

"Yes." Hera nodded. "My father worked for the Republic, not the Confederacy. I know what side I want to be on."

"You guys pay better." Lando shrugged. "You won't believe the kind of taxes the Confederacy tries to put on some good honest businessmen like me. Seriously, I have no idea why they put the Trade Federation in charge of economics."

"Besides the obvious?" Kanan asked. "Whatever. Who's shipping it?"

"Two ships. Mine, the Ghost, has a bit of a skeleton crew but we can take more of the gear." Hera explained. "I recruited a second crew earlier to take the rest - don't worry, they're...reliable, if a bit unorthodox."

"I'd say." Lando snorted again. "What kind of name is 'Jim Vytosky'?"

"Good." Depa smiled, standing up again and passing Hera a credit chip. "We'll pay you the rest on delivery, as promised."

"Of course." Hera stood up as well, turning to leave with a smile. "Nice meeting you, Depa. Kanan."

"Likewise." Kanan said, still half-dazed. Lando snickered as he followed the Twi'lek out, and Depa had to put a hand on her apprentice's shoulder to restrain him with a warning look. 

"We need those weapons." She said quietly as they headed out into the harsh light of the twin suns again. "We start to strike back soon."

* * *

**FELUCIA, 9 ACV**

"They didn't know what hit them." Rex's hologram chuckled. Ki-Adi Mundi let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding, one of the three Jedi who had become the de-facto Triuumvirate leaders of the Old Republic Resistance in shock that they'd actually succeeded on their first attack. 

Felucia had been easy - between Aayla's experience there herself, the months if not years of planning that Thrawn and her had put into this, the weapons provided through the black market in the resurging Hutt Space and a little reinforcement from Mandalore had all played into that. Now the hard part would be winning the rest of the Galaxy back - not just military, but hearts and minds. Ki-Adi Mundi hated to admit it, but they'd failed the civilians and they all knew it. The fact that this New Jedi Order of Dooku's had been accepted so easily was proof of that. Even some of the senators had transferred their loyalty - Bail Organa was calling for them to surrender. He'd always thought Organa was on the side of the Republic, but now it seemed that the man just wanted the bloodshed to end. 

Ki-Adi Mundi could relate. The Cerean was old, and he was _tired_. Sometimes he wondered if it was even worth fighting to bring it all back. Then he remembered the  _screams_ that they'd all heard when the Confederacy had bombed Coruscant. Yes, it was worth it.

"Thank goodness for that." He said eventually. "Start fortifying the position. We'll make a broadcast soon."

The people had to know that the Old Republic Resistance was an option. They had to start repairing their reputation. They had to get the civilians to rise up against the Confederacy...or all the tactical acumen in the world couldn't save them.

* * *

**GAREL, 9 ACV**

"Ahsoka."

" _You_."

This was not the reaction that Barris had been hoping for, although it was better than she'd expected, as she stared at her old friend. Ahsoka was staring at her in anger, but all Barris could feel at the moment was pity. Silence passed and the Mirialan stood in the doorframe of the Togruta's apartment, refusing to move. She kept her hands by her side, making it clear she meant no harm - and eventually Ahsoka relented, letting out a sigh. 

"What do you want, Barris."

"Come back with me." She said simply, reaching out and putting a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. 

"You _framed_  me for **_murder_**."

"I know. And I'm so sorry." Barris could feel tears in her eyes now as she begged her friend. She'd told Dooku she could do this - and she felt like she needed to. Ahsoka had to be convinced, even if just so Barris could feel some small sense of redemption. "Ahsoka, please, the New Jedi Order is a real force for good, not corrupt, surely you've seen that over the last few years-"

" ** _He_**  killed skyguy. Almost certainly." Ahsoka said numbly. "I'm not going to help him."

"Then help _me_." Barris pleaded, pulling at straws now. "I need you, Ahsoka. My master's gone. I'm - I'm _lost_  without someone like you by my side. I'm just trying to do what's right, that's all I've ever wanted. The New Order, it's giving me the chance to do that, but-...but-"

Her next words were broken, tears running down her cheeks. "I don't want to fall again, Ahsoka. Please, don't let me fall again."

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Ahsoka stepped aside to let Barris in. They talked for hours, and cried, and by the end of it...Ahsoka wasn't sure this was the right thing to do. She knew that Aayla and Ki-Adi Mundi had been against her being expelled, and that Plo Koon - reliable Plo Koon - had resurfaced. But maybe Barris was right. Maybe this was the best way to help people. 

"Just make sure I don't try and stab him when I get there." She mumbled, resting her head on Barris' shoulder. Barris laghed, stroking one of the Togruta's montrals affectionately. 

"I promise I will make sure you don't stab the President."

* * *

**LOTHAL, 9 ACV**

"And what happened to your parents, youngling?"

"Dead." The young boy shrugged. He couldn't have been more than nine, the cloaked man thought to himself. Yes...that was a good age for it. "They were killed in the crossfire of a battle when I was two years old. It's just me and whoever had the time to look after me."

"I can sense great potential in you." He rested one hand on the boy's shoulder, lips growing into a wide smile. Now...wouldn't this be something to threaten his old master with. If he was so content to let his replacement set up a New Jedi Order, then he would just have to set up a new Sith. 

Only two, there were. And this young boy in front of him was brimming with power, untapped potential that he could almost taste. 

"Come. I can teach you so many things, Ezra Bridger." He added something hypnotic to his voice, and the boy stared up at him defiantly. 

"I should't trust strangers."

"I shan't be a stranger for long." He said lightly, pulling back on his hood to reveal a scarred and tattooed face. Ezra flinched back, but only for a second. "My name is Maul. Now we're not strangers anymore, are we...my young apprentice?"

"I guess not."

"I can teach you to defend yourself. How to make sure nothing that happens to your parents can happen again." Maul kept talking, almost shivering with excitement. This...this was what he needed. "How to use your anger. Your hate, your fear. Control them instead of letting them control you. What do you say?"

A moment passed, and then a determined look crossed the child's face. "Yes. Please...teach me how."

Maul smiled. "Excellent. Come with me."

* * *

**RAXUS, 10 ACV**

"The first Padawans are ready." Dooku hummed as he faced Sidious' hologram. He felt like his Master was still unconvinced, but was growing more appreciating of the idea every day that he thought on it, at least as far as Dooku could tell. A few times Sidious had muttered darkly about not being able to sense the future as well as before, something which Dooku had realized with shock was the same for him. Perhaps it was just that the Force was so clouded in general recently - like some great pall was put over the Galaxy. 

"Good." Sidious nodded in approval. "You have done well, my apprentice. Even in your advanced age you continue to serve me admirably. Take the padawans from their masters and get them ready for their first missions."

"Thank you, master." Dooku bowed. A servant opened the door now that the call was over, looking nervous. 

"Mister President? The assembly is waiting for you..."

The first decade of the Galactic Confederacy had been full of turmoil, Dooku reflected as he headed back to the council chambers. Mandalore's rebellion, the continued resistance of the Old Republic through those old masters, the fact that the damned Hutts refused to follow the law and just continued as if they ruled their own space...but effective. The Galactic Confederacy was his to control, even with his master in the shadows. 

Then why, as he stood in the elevator and watched the world go by as he slowly descended, did he feel so anxious?

"Mister President?" The aide asked again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Dooku said after a moment. "I just had a bad feeling. That's all."

* * *

**Freedom! The Galactic Confederacy is starting to crack at the seams. Evil is everywhere and heroes have fallen. Two groups now hold the chance to change the fate of the Galaxy for the better.**

**In the Outer Rim, a group of smugglers led by JIM VYTOSKY get ready to make money and supply both sides if necessary. In the Galactic Core, the first Padawans of the NEW JEDI ORDER get ready to complete their training.**

**On the Hutt world of GAN MORADIR the crew of the DRIFTER'S FORTUNE get ready to make a delivery that will change the shape of the Galaxy forever...**

**Author's Note:**

> List of dead characters in this AU: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme (and as a result Luke & Leia), Yoda, Mace, Cody, large chunks of the Galactic Senate, every Jedi still on Coruscant at the time, everyone who worked in the cloning facilities on Kamino. 
> 
> List of characters still alive: All other Jedi, since Order 66 was never initiated. Sidious is holding onto that as his ace in the hole should the ORR get the upper hand again. 
> 
> I will admit that making Thrawn a heroic figure is probably a bit fan-wanky for some people, but considering how impressed he seemed to be with Anakin in the opening of the new Thrawn novel and how he hates disorganization it's hopefully not too much of a leap. Besides, as a DM I couldn't resist using him, and the odds are stacked against my players enough as it is. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for putting up with this self-indulgent piece of junk. The next two chapters are going to be more prologues, this time focusing on the backstories of the various player characters - the crew of the Drifter's Fortune (an Edge of the Empire game), and the first set of Padawans produced by Dooku's New Jedi Order (a Force & Destiny game) and should be up fairly quickly. Considering the actual plot is based on when sessions of the games can happen...those are going to be more irregular.


End file.
